Asus released the strix 2 laptops: Hands-on review

We all know and love ASUS laptops especially their republic of gaming lineup that has provided us with a variety of gaming laptops that are not that expensive but provide good performance due to the tweaks and improvements from ASUS. They unveiled the second generation of the STRIX lineup at Computex 18, there was not much information at that time, but they are released now, and we have complete details of its interiors and exteriors. Here is the early hands-on review of the ASUS ROG STRIX 2.

There are two variants in the STRIX 2 lineup one is called SCAR 2 which is for the semi-serious gamers who are mostly into First-person shooter games or online games while the Hero 2 is for the MOBA gamers who do not require intense specifications and crazy high framerates.

Design

One of the first things that you will notice at first glance is the design; one may argue that chassis is the same as the first generation STRIX laptop, but some subtle differences become significant up close. The thin design and two-tone metallic finish that has become a trademark of ROG laptops lately can be found in these laptops too.

When the lid is closed, the metallic back is covered with the flashy ROG logo, while things are impressive on the front bezel-less display that is 2.3mm less than the already bezel-less display of the first gen STRIX laptop is the highlight of the design this time around.

Image: the verge

The deck of the laptop that is the Keyboard and trackpad area has a strange rubber finish to it, and we are not sure if its good for gaming and typing or if it is prone to sweat or not. However, the keyboard and trackpad are what every gamer will cherish the keyboard of SCAR 2 has marked WASD keys for the players while the keyboard of HERO 2 has QWER keys highlighted the purpose of highlighting these is not clairvoyant to me. The trackpad has dedicated keys something that is not common these days, and the tracking is up to the mark as it has windows precision drivers.

Image: Trustedreviews

Every gaming laptop has a plethora of RGB lights there is also have a fair share of RGB lighting from the fully lit Keyboard to a strip at the chin of the deck that is fully customizable and the always glowing ROG logo at the back that too is customizable. The RGB lighting adds a bit of illuminance to the otherwise stealthy look of the laptop.

Display

Another aspect that is a selling point of the gaming laptops is the display, the bezel-less displays found in these laptops can be found in two configurations if you opt for the HERO 2 and only one if you find interest in the SCAR 2. The configurations that are same in both laptops is the 15.6 inches FHD (1920 x 1080) panel that has a refresh rate of 144Hz and 3ms of GTG response time which will ensure best online multiplayer playtime.

Additionally, the panel is rated at 100% sRGB color gamut that will provide true to life colors, pure whites, and dense blacks. Moreover, the non-glare coating is there to protect your eyes during the intense gaming sessions. If you plan on getting the HERO 2 then there is an additional option of the same display but with a refresh rate of 60.

Image: Trustedreviews

Specifications

In the specifications department, one can argue that it is one of the high-end gaming laptops. There are two options for the 8th gen Intel processors depending upon price the high-end model will have core i7-8750H while the other model will have core i5-8300H both are quad-core processors.

In the graphics side, there are two options for the SCAR 2 and one for the HERO 2 the GL504GM model of the SCAR 2 has the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5 memory while the GL504GS model and the HERO 2 has Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with 6GB GDDR5 memory.

Regarding memory, both laptops have up to 32GB of DDR4 dual-channel memory SDRAM that is clocked at 2666MHz.in terms of storage, there are many options from the M.2 NVMe PCIe drive to SSHD or HDD with a variety of storage options that will depend upon the price.

The gaming laptops are always classified as the performance beasts because of the top of the line specifications that manufacturers put in their devices. The high-end model can easily deliver more than 120 FPS on all esports titles at ultra settings while if you put in slightly demanding games than the laptops can efficiently achieve 100 FPS we did not have much time to spend with these laptops and test the performance of the newly designed fans that ASUS claims are best in business.

Image: CNET

Early Verdict

Since we could not spend enough time with the machines we are unable to provide the conclusion, but looking at the design, display, specifications and the starting price of $1999 we can say that it is on the expensive side of spectrum but if you are looking for a device of this type than by all means look for these devices too.

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